Expressions of deprivation in the languages of the East Baltic Area: Evidence for convergence in case syntax

Abstract

In a monograph by Veenker (1967), the discussion that there has been about the East area forming a Sprachbund, i.e. a language convergence area (LCA), was summarized in depth, and the concept was further elaborated on in several extensive reviews which followed. More recently, new works which will hopefully revitalize this exciting field of study have appeared, e.g. the bold description of Uralic substratum interference in Slavic and Baltic by Thomason & Kaufman (1988: 238-251), and the important analytical review by Mathiassen (1984). The latter author enumerates the following morphosyntactic parallels between Baltic, Slavic, and Baltic-Finnic (BF) languages in the East area: i) instead of have, ii) the nominative object, iii ) partitive expressions, iv) use of non-nominative in predicative function, v) expressions of vi) impersonal participle constructions, vii) nominal phrases without a copula. In his opinion, vi) and vii) are unconvincing as language convergence isoglosses in this area. Curiously, he also rejects iii), despite the evidence put forward recently by Larsson (1983). Expressions of deprivation, v), is a putative isogloss introduced by Mathiassen himself. Here, I intend to provide more data on this novel isogloss, which indeed proves to be of crucial importance for an understanding of the East LCA.